Terra, Magical AdeptTerra, Magical Adept | Art by Clare Wong

Hello, and welcome back! In this week's Beyond the Multiverse, we're delving into a fresh new take on an already popular commander, Terra, Magical AdeptTerra, Magical Adept.

That said, this week's deck has interchangeable commanders, meaning that any of the viable options will actually work at the helm. With everything Final Fantasy-related out in the wild (almost; there's a holiday release early in December), we know what we're working with.

So, let's get right into it, and weave our tales.

Wait, Our Commander's Not in Esper

What am I playing at? An Esper is a magical being from Final Fantasy VI, of which Terra is one. She was initially enslaved by the Gestahlian Empire in their quest for global dominance. However, she was freed from their mind control (namely Kefka's), and joined up with the Returners, a rebellious group aiming to stop the Empire.

She eventually comes to accept her true nature after being hesitant about it, and fought to make the world a better place.

Terra needs us to run a boatload of enchantments, and that's what we're doing. Specifically, she wants us to go into Sagas, if the back half of the card's any indication. Fortunately, the latest set came with a deluge of Saga creatures that we can use.

However, this is why Tom BombadilTom Bombadil is also serving as our alternate commander. He will work just as well here. You might say I'm covering two commanders with one deck. That said, we're operating with the assumption that we're using Terra as the commander for the purposes of this article.

Our Story Begins

Before I begin, I want to mention that, recently, there's been a change in the rules. If a Saga has no chapter abilities (because of, say, HumilityHumility), it won't get sacrificed as a state-based action. In addition, we won't get to add lore counters to that Saga until Humility has been removed.

With that out of the way, we have a host of sweet Sagas to go over.

Firstly, Summon: G.F. IfritSummon: G.F. Ifrit lets us loot and gives us mana later on. Summon: FenrirSummon: Fenrir is another good one. It ramps us, powers up a creature, and potentially draws us cards.

Moreover, Summon: IxionSummon: Ixion temporarily (more on that soon) removes a creature, then proceeds to empower our creatures. That said, one of our heavy hitters is Summon: KujataSummon: Kujata, which comes in with a trio of powerful chapter abilities. The fact that it's a 7/5 with trample and haste is just icing on the cake.

Speaking of heavy hitters, Summon: Knights of RoundSummon: Knights of Round will take its sweet time to get to the end. However, when it does, it pumps our board on its way out, and we're likely to have a sizable one at that point.

In addition, Summon: Primal OdinSummon: Primal Odin is terrifying: We let that hit our opponent on the second chapter, game over for them. With enough counter manipulation (again, more on that soon), we'll fast become the archenemy.

Finally, the greatest (and most well-known) is Summon: BahamutSummon: Bahamut. The first two turns has us blow up something, while the next one draws us cards. Lastly, the final chapter is devastating if achieved, potentially game-ending.

Counter-Dancing

Remember my asides with Ixion and Primal Odin? The trick is to move the lore counters around, so our Sagas stay around longer. Most importantly, we can move them around to keep triggering certain chapter abilities. Crucially, most of our Saga creatures don't have haste, so they can only attack for a turn or two before going away.

This is no good for us, so removing counters helps on that front.

Firstly, we begin with the humble O'aka, Traveling MerchantO'aka, Traveling Merchant, who can give us a card in exchange for a counter.

Secondly, Tidus, Yuna's GuardianTidus, Yuna's Guardian (that's Tee-dus) moves a counter around at the start of combat. Plus, if you connect, you have a chance to draw a card and add more lore counters to Sagas if needed.

Thirdly, Rikku, Resourceful GuardianRikku, Resourceful Guardian ensures our Saga creatures become unblockable.

Lastly, Nesting GroundsNesting Grounds can move a counter around, and it costs mana to do it, but it takes up a land slot.

However, the best of these is Sin, Unending CataclysmSin, Unending Cataclysm, which removes all counters and converts them into +1/+1 counters for it. This, in turn, makes it a massive threat. Similarly, Garnet, Princess of AlexandriaGarnet, Princess of Alexandria does this whenever she attacks, and she has lifelink to boot.

Terra, Magical Adept Commander Deck List

Interpreting the Tale

I may, or may not, have tried to cram every single Saga creature in existence here.

Firstly, each of the Dominants start out as creatures, but transform into Sagas. Eventually, they revert back if our opponents haven't taken them out already.

That said, both Ian ChestertonIan Chesterton and Barbara WrightBarbara Wright interact with Sagas in different ways, and perhaps to our benefit. Secondly, Eivor, Wolf-KissedEivor, Wolf-Kissed isn't just a big finisher: She can potentially ramp us, and/or pull a Saga back into play for another round.

Speaking of recursion, Yuna, Hope of SpiraYuna, Hope of Spira brings our Summons back for one last round while bolstering them with protection and some strong keywords.

We also have a handful of regular Sagas in our arsenal.

Death in HeavenDeath in Heaven is graveyard hate while giving us chump blockers. In addition, Song of EärendilSong of Eärendil draws cards, ramps up, and gives our Summons some evasion.

The Bath SongThe Bath Song is similar, with two of the chapters being about card draw. Furthermore, it shuffles our graveyard back into our library while ramping us a smidge. Lastly, Birth of the ImperiumBirth of the Imperium gives us more blockers, but also has our opponents sacrifice creatures and, if stars align, draws us cards.

Lastly, do you remember at the beginning of the article I said Tom BombadilTom Bombadil can serve as the commander for this deck as well? That applies with this list, too. His ability to dig for Sagas is very powerful, but also can take a long time to resolve, especially if triggered multiple times at once.

If you don't want to bring out groans from the table, it's better to either replace it, or do some goldfishing. The latter will be good practice to help you get through your turn faster.

Other Stories

Delving into in-universe cards, there's more choices, plus some helpful Saga support. Most importantly, we gain access to the various "Enchantress" effects, where we draw cards from casting enchantments (and occasionally when they enter play). We also have cost reducers like Jukai NaturalistJukai Naturalist and Herald of the PantheonHerald of the Pantheon.

Sagas-wise, we get Binding the Old GodsBinding the Old Gods, which offers great utility. On the other hand Battle at the HelvaultBattle at the Helvault temporarily removes problem cards, leaving us with a powerhouse of a token.

Both The Eldest RebornThe Eldest Reborn and Elspeth Conquers DeathElspeth Conquers Death provide more utility, and share a recursion chapter ability.

Next, Narci, Fable SingerNarci, Fable Singer serves two purposes: She draws us a card when a Saga's finished, and drains our opponents as well, proving to be a potential win condition.

Meanwhile, cards like Hex ParasiteHex Parasite and Glissa SunslayerGlissa Sunslayer remove lore counters, so our Summons stay out longer. That said, one of the best ways to do this is hitting an opponent with Brago, King EternalBrago, King Eternal.

A spicy pick would be Bello, Bard of the BramblesBello, Bard of the Brambles, which turns them into unkillable attackers that draw cards. Just beware that he'll reduce the size of some of our Summons, like Bahamut.

In addition, Wildsear, Scouring MawWildsear, Scouring Maw has us cascade each time we cast an enchantment from our hand. Also, Ondu SpiritdancerOndu Spiritdancer, Yenna, Redtooth RegentYenna, Redtooth Regent, and Calix, Guided by FateCalix, Guided by Fate create token copies of our Summons.

There's a lot of options to choose from, so mix and match to your tastes!

The End of a Saga

The Final Fantasy set gave Saga decks more depth to work with, allowing us to even have creatures with chapter abilities. Five-color Sagas is not new, thanks to Tom Bombadil, but Terra became an option for those that wanted such a deck, but didn't want to contend with long turns.

Moreover, the deck list I posted is something I recommend for players who love the Summons and want to run as many as they can.

Be sure to tune in next time for more Beyond the Multiverse.